The Des Moines Register
JOHNSTON STRONG
Above: Johnston celebrates after a 54-30 victory against Ankeny Centennial in the Class 5A state quarterfinal March 2 at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Right: In front of a packed arena, the No. 1-seeded Dragons advanced to the semifinals and remain on...
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Tehran retaliates after leader killed in strikes
Three American service members were killed in action amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, U.S. military officials confirmed March 1, one day after the United States and Israel launched strikes against the country and Tehran quickly hit back. Five...
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U.S. LAUNCHES ‘MASSIVE’ ATTACK ON IRAN
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TSA officers get fraction of pay
NEW YORK – Airport security screeners across the nation received a fraction of their usual pay on Feb. 27 as the partial government shutdown drags on, increasing the risk that more officers will call in sick to take second jobs, or even quit. Funding...
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Lawmakers negotiate property tax overhaul
Sen. Dan Dawson slapped papers on the wall of a room inside the Iowa Capitol spelling out a formula for a tool many communities use to finance development projects: “T x I = F.” “Tax (multiplied) by increment equals how you finance a project,” said...
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ON THE
“We’re just trying to make something cool for Des Moines, something the city is proud of, so for it to get national recognition is surreal. A dream come true.” Billy Weathers Owner of The Contrary, pictured above
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Legislature passes 2% school-funding boost
Iowa lawmakers have voted to boost K-12 school funding by 2% — or $160 more per kid — sending the legislation to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature. Republicans touted the increase, saying it is the most Iowa has ever spent on education. But while...
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Cartel retaliation stuns U.S. tourists
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Feb. 23 that normal activity had resumed following a day of violence in several regions of the country. “Today, there is tranquility,” she said, adding that peace had been secured and blockades largely...
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From urban farm to undeveloped eyesore
When Monika Owczarski walks past Des Moines’ Central Place Industrial Park in the River Bend neighborhood, she can’t help but look to see if any sunflowers are popping out of the undeveloped lots that were once home to her urban garden. h Instead,...
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Inflation cooling but many feel strain
Inflation ticked down to 2.4%, the unemployment rate fell and U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, whose reports economists view as the “gold standard” of data. On paper, the economy appears to be...
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Snow, cold weather return to Des Moines
ABOVE: August Pritchard, 3, helps his dad, Kyle Pritchard, clean up snow along Third Street in downtown Des Moines on Feb. 20. RIGHT: A skid loader dumps snow into a dump truck on Walnut Street in downtown Des Moines on Feb. 20. About 6 inches of snow...
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Iowa’s best wrestlers gather in Des Moines
ABOVE: Ankeny’s Calvin Rathjen, right, tangles with Waukee’s Kayden Crispin in a Class 3A 165-pound match on Feb. 18 at the state high school wrestling tournament. Rathjen won by fall in 5:56. RIGHT: A view from the top of Casey’s Center in...
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ON THE RISE
With projects like the 33-story 515 Walnut tower rising in downtown Des Moines, apartment supply is growing quickly in central Iowa — and even more projects are in the pipeline following a surge of multifamily housing permits in 2025. Across the...
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MOUNTING CONCERNS
Iowa State gymnasts arrived at the team’s oncampus practice facility, Beyer Hall, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 expecting to practice. The Cyclones had a home meet against Western Michigan scheduled for the upcoming Friday, Feb. 13, and needed to...
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Des Moines enjoys warm February day
Top photo, from left, Shannon Adams, Rosie Chrismore, 3, and Maverik Sloan walk hand in hand at Gray’s Lake Park on Feb. 16 as temperatures reach 66 degrees, offering a break from winter. In the right photo, sheets of ice melt along the lake shoreline.
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Iowa GOP considers book permission bill
Iowa Republicans are seeking to place restrictions on libraries that would prevent juveniles from accessing books that include sexual content or are intended for adults. House File 2309 would require libraries to keep books and other material intended...
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TWO TABLE FOR A
to wait from all over People come Texas-style in line for central melts in so tender it fatty brisket cubed daily, burnt ends your mouth, dry-rubbed pork that’s and pulled for and smoked with five spices and bark. for deep flavor 12-14 hours
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Iowan’s resolve drives him to Olympic ice
Zach Stoppelmoor approaches the starting line at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, settling in to his stance as he awaits the gun for the men’s 500-meter race. The next 35 seconds will come to define the last four years of the West Des...
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250 Iowa soldiers welcomed home
Less than two months after two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in Syria, about 250 of their fellow guards members walked onto Iowa soil to applause and waiting families inside a hangar at the Des Moines International Airport. The ceremony on...
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Taking a peek into new City Hall
Nearly a dozen Des Moines city departments are now housed in the new T.M. Franklin Cownie City Administration Building in Des Moines’ Western Gateway. The new City Hall is in the eastern wing of the Cownie building at 1200 Locust St. The building...
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TEMPS RAMP UP
Unseasonably warm temperatures prompted Iowans to enjoy some rays outside, like Kole Stapes (photos above and below) taking advantage of the Feb. 10 weather to practice his skateboard tricks at Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines. Temperatures should...
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GOP bill would block local trans protections
Over chants of “love not hate,” Iowa GOP lawmakers advanced two bills barring local governments from establishing protections against gender identitybased discrimination and exempting LGBTQ conversion therapy from the definition of child abuse. LGBTQ...
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Democrats: Clinton vote sets a precedent
WASHINGTON – After a successful pressure campaign to compel former President Bill Clinton to testify about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, House Democrats are threatening to subpoena President Donald Trump for investigations of their own...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
If it’s local you want, we’Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain...
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Iowa Ag Expo unveils the latest in farm gear
The Iowa Ag Expo, the third largest indoor ag show in the U.S., was held at the Iowa Events Center Feb. 3-5. Nearly 700 exhibitors spanned three buildings for the annual event. ABOVE: Vera Schnell is helped out of a tractor by her father, Riley,...
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DAY ONE AT STATE GIRLS WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
Charles City’s Sophia Calpito celebrates with coach Robert Pittman after winning a 105-pound match Feb. 5 at the state girls wrestling tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. RIGHT: Osage’s Ainsley Hemann, top, wrestles Centerville’s Kirra Whisler in...
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FRE E SPEEHC
As news of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk spread last fall, social media filled with competing reactions almost as quickly as television networks broke into programming with coverage from Utah Valley University. Kirk, 31, was...
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Abortion big topic in 2026 elections
In 2024, Iowa Democrats suffered bruising losses as they focused their messaging on preserving abortion access. This year, as Democratic candidates campaign ahead of the 2026 midterms, they’re framing abortion as part of a broader argument around...
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Campaign cash scorecard
Republican Raised last quarter: Cash on hand: Republican Raised last quarter: $1,679,333 Cash on hand: $5,170,263 State Sen. Zach Wahls outraised state Rep. Josh Turek in Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary in the most recent fundraising...
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Uncounted, ‘invisible’
Landen Hoadley loves playing the video game “Assassin’s Creed” and building large Lego sets, but the Mason City High School sophomore feels passionately about helping lead the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance to create safe spaces for...
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It’s Girl Scout cookie season; get set to snag your favorites
If you're a Girl Scouts cookie aficionado, then your time has come. Starting Sunday, Feb. 1, Girls Scouts of Greater Iowa will begin selling their beloved sweet treats. Here's what to know so you can get your hands on your favorite Girl Scout cookie...
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Deal to avert federal shutdown advancing
The Senate began advancing legislation to fund the government and avoid an extended shutdown on the afternoon of Jan. 30, breaking an impasse that had held up the bill. Senators began voting on seven amendments to the funding package. The bill had...
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Trump spurs hope for biofuels action
President Donald Trump’s Clive appearance left Iowa ethanol advocates optimistic that the nation’s largest producer of the renewable fuel could see year-round access to the higher E15 blend enacted within a few weeks. Trump, speaking at the Horizon...
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Trump touts economy; protesters focus on ICE
CLIVE — Republican President Donald Trump worked to shore up support ahead of the 2026 midterms as he campaigned in Iowa Tuesday, Jan. 27, touting the “dramatic one-year turnaround” he said he has engineered on the economy. Trump blamed Democrats for...
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President visits Hawkeye State
President Donald Trump touched down in Iowa Tuesday, Jan. 27, for a speech about the economy but immediately faced questions about his administration’s immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Air Force One landed at the Des Moines International...
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Trump, MN governor hold ‘productive’ call
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Jan. 26 said President Donald Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of immigration agents in Minnesota and will ensure state officials can independently investigate the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by...
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Contradictions in Roberts’ rapid climb
A star athlete and disciplined student, Ian Roberts drew admiration from teammates and classmates growing up. Part 1 of this series traced how he quickly rose through the police force of his native Guyana. But when a relative living in New York...
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Which Iowa towns will see cyclists?
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FUELING TURMOIL
Iowa and other Midwestern farm groups and ethanol advocates are blasting a plan by U.S. lawmakers to create a task force to study potential year-round sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline blends after an attempt to pass such legislation in a House...
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New terminal gaining ground
By this time next year, passengers at the Des Moines International Airport will begin using the new 360,000-square-foot terminal that’s under construction, airport officials say. The terminal is part of a $550 million Lift DSM project that will...
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Sand leads in governor candidate fundraising
Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand raised about $9.5 million last year, bringing his total fundraising for the 2026 election cycle to about $18 million — an aggressive benchmark for this election year. It puts Sand in a strong financial...
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Iowa GOP eyes wider pipeline corridors
The Iowa Senate’s top Republican is proposing a plan to widen the route in which pipeline projects can build as they attempt to secure land voluntarily for their projects, rather than resorting to eminent domain. Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh,...
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Does Iowa voter shift hint at a blue wave?
Iowa Democrats ended 2025 on a high note, winning a Dec. 30 special election in Des Moines’ western suburbs by a wider margin than during the presidential election. That capped off a year in which Democrats won four of the six legislative special...
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Iowa Catholic school enrollment increases
Iowa’s Catholic diocese schools continue to see their enrollment rise under a state law that allows families to use state funds to help cover private school costs. h Enrollment as of October 2025 reached 26,095 students, an increase of slightly more...
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Sunset skating
The U.S. figure skating team for the 2026 Winter Olympics may already be set, but skaters can still hit the ice for fun at Brenton Skating Plaza in Des Moines. Regular hours are: Monday–Thursday: 5 p.m – 9 p.m. Fridays: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. h Saturdays:...
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Reynolds talks Iowa agenda for 2026
Gov. Kim Reynolds is defending her proposal to limit local governments’ revenue growth to 2% annually as she looks to cut property taxes for Iowans. h Reynolds, a Republican, used her Condition of the State address to pitch a property tax cut that her...
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Reynolds lists last set of priorities for Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed a $3 billion property tax cut for Iowans, new spending on cancer prevention and stricter penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in her annual address to lawmakers. The Condition of the State address, which...
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Iowa duo on the road to musical success
The first time Kathryn Severing Fox took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville’s hallowed home of live music, she didn’t know where to stand. “Walking up on the stage, I didn’t even go to the right part of the stage initially,” she laughs. “I...
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Protests spread after fatal shooting by ICE
The city of Minneapolis is reeling in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration agent, as federal and local authorities clash over the latest violence in President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. Minnesota...
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Where commerce meets community
On a Wednesday afternoon in December, Arina Soda and her husband, Julio Moreno, greeted a family heading for the shelves that took over the entrance of their Des Moines hair salon and tattoo shop. Soda said they could grab any of the items — canned...
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Milk & Honey builds community bonds
This is the first in an occasional series that looks at farm-to-table dining in Iowa. HARLAN, Iowa – In a former Ford dealership in Harlan, Iowa, Milk & Honey is rewriting the farm-to-table playbook for rural America. Owned by farmers Daniel Rosmann...
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‘I FEEL LIKE I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY’
Bishop Tammy Harris got the call about her cancer diagnosis in 2023 while driving to Chicago for her exhusband’s funeral. It was stage 1 breast cancer, which meant doctors caught it early but she would need surgery to remove the malignant tumor. h The...
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U.S. captures Venezuelan President Maduro
Get the latest at usatoday.com. And find more coverage in the Nation & World Extra section, a subscriber-only feature in your eNewspaper.
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West Des Moines still trails Ankeny after partial census
West Des Moines has grown by more than 5,200 people since 2020, according to a special partial census – a surge expected to bring in millions of dollars more in tax revenue through 2030. But the surge wasn’t enough to overtake Ankeny as the metro’s...
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‘HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT’
Chris Jones grew up in Ankeny — back when it was a quiet town of no more than 6,000 people and before it became the largest suburb in the Des Moines metro. For Jones, that meant time spent outdoors, from collecting butterflies to watching wildlife, and...
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Bowl-game result will define Iowa football’s season
TAMPA, Florida — In the scope of Iowa’s 2025 football season, it’s not a stretch to say this Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl result against 14th-ranked Vanderbilt means everything. Sure, the value placed on bowl games has undoubtedly diminished...
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Big changes ahead for Iowa’s SNAP program
Marc Craig says he wouldn’t be able to get by without the $298 he receives each month for food assistance. Craig, who lives in the Des Moines area, is homeless and sleeps in his car. He’s been looking for a job for months, but hasn’t been able to find...
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Tattoos, love, hemp together at Iris Aisle
It’s called Iris Aisle, and this bucolic patch of rural Iowa somehow escaped growing corn and soybeans to become a truly unique business enterprise. This, however, is a story about the unique dreams of its artistic owners. Earl Ramey, 55, is a tattoo...
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5 charged for spray painting slurs on historic Winterset Clark Tower
Five people, including four juveniles, are being charged with criminal mischief after vandalizing Clark Tower in Winterset in November. Phone numbers, racial slurs, names and inappropriate drawings were graffitied on the three levels of Clark Tower, a...
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‘You’re never alone in this journey’
Escucha Mi Voz, an Iowa-based, immigrant-led organization, is like “a huge family,” said member Elida Contreras. “And we’re there for each other,” Contreras, 22, said. Contreras is one of about 800 members of Escucha Mi Voz, which helps connect...
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Townships carry Iowa’s past into a more demanding future
Long before city councils and county boards shaped Iowa politics, townships formed the state’s first experiment in local governance. Largely unnoticed, this grassroots system still quietly operates even as townships struggle to keep up with funding and...
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Developer boosts community spirit
People driving past what used to serve as the city hall for the long-defunct municipality of North Des Moines see a building propped up by support beams and plywood-covered windows. But real estate developer Kuuku Saah sees a building that hosted...
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Concerns over one city employee in tiny Pisgah
Taxpayers sometimes express concern when people who are supposed to be public servants work two different jobs at once. But in Pisgah, a hamlet of 1 square mile and fewer than 250 people nestled in the Loess Hills of southwest Iowa, that concern’s...
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A lifetime in service for retiring fire chief
Ask Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe about defining moments from his three decades as a firefighter and the memories are often unglamorous, unrecognized — and sometimes unconventional. He thinks about the time he got a call about a Canadian goose...
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Millions are facing tough insurance choices for ’26
NEW YORK – Americans facing skyrocketing health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, could still get a break from expanded government subsidies in 2026 through retroactive legislation and possibly a special...
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Will treetops glisten?
Dreaming of a white Christmas? As much as the idyllic scene may be what comes to mind around the holiday season (particularly this year), the odds of actually having a white Christmas in Des Moines and the surrounding area are lower than you might...
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Coming home
The bodies of two fallen Iowa National Guard soldiers and a civilian interpreter have arrived back to U.S. soil after they were killed this weekend in an attack in Syria. President Donald Trump helped escort the bodies of Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate”...
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WINTER WOES
Keeping warm this winter will cost Iowans and others in the Midwest as much as 20% more than last year, given not just the frigid weather but an expected spike in natural gas and electricity costs, projections from a national group says. Just how much...
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Guard identifies Iowa soldiers killed in Syria
The Iowa National Guard has released the names of the two soldiers killed in an apparent ISIS attack in Syria: Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines. Both were members of the 1st Squadron,...
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Races for Legislature will heat up in 2026
New Year’s Eve is still a few weeks off, but the 2026 race for the Iowa Statehouse is already well underway in the Des Moines metro. h And it seems like nearly every legislative seat in the metro will be up for grabs. Retirements, bids for higher...
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JoCo to reaffirm rights amid warrantless arrests by ICE
Johnson County will move forward with a “due process” resolution reaffirming the county’s position against warrantless arrests by federal officials in county facilities, encouraging workplace training and recommending that area businesses implement...
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Branstad honored with Iowa Award
Iowa elected officials, government leaders and other dignitaries praised former Gov. Terry Branstad’s “courage,” “grace” and “integrity” during a ceremony Dec. 11 at the Iowa Capitol honoring his decades of public service. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds...
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More cameras, but little regulation
The rapid growth of automated license plate readers in Iowa is sparking calls for broader state regulations of the technology, with civil liberties advocates pointing to a new report claiming the technology infringes on privacy rights. The ACLU of...
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STADIUM ISAGO AL
What one backer called “the last piece” of a long-unsolved puzzle has fallen into place as Des Moines City Council approved a $7 million tax increment financing deal for a pro soccer stadium on a remediated Superfund site adjacent to downtown Des...
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New ISU coach tips hat to predecessor
AMES – As the snow fell and the wind whipped, a small army descended upon the Ames Municipal Airport. Eight inches of snowfall would typically be more than enough to divert a plane south to Des Moines, which is equipped to handle winter weather the...
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